15 April 2019. Sydney Airport:
The first surprise was the size of the plane. I obviously hadn’t thought it out, but I wasn’t expecting a 20 seater Turboprop plane. We climbed the few stairs and sat in our allotted seats, and then waited. After a while we were told that we were waiting for the Second Officer. Shortly afterwards a man got in in a high-viz vest, looking remarkably like the baggage handlers, and he headed off into the cockpit. Then we were off.
Two hours later the ragged peaks of Mt Lidigard and Mt Gower appeared. We had reached Lord Howe Island. We came in over the lagoon – so low that passengers were speculating whether the planes still landed in the lagoon – as the flying boats once did. But then, suddenly we sighted the runways. We landed and taxied to the small flat-roofed building known as the Terminal. As I walked into the tiny airport terminal I was asked where i was staying, and upon reply I was told – “Oh that’s Gary over there with the Hawaiian shirt”. And so up to the “Beachcomber Resort”, a small building on the north side of the island, up a hill which I was told the locals referred to as “Heart Attack Hill”. And so my four days on Lord Howe Island began. It was 15 April, 2019 – 50 years after I had flown out of Sydney to follow the Hippy Trail.
Lord Howe Island is a beautiful island off the east coast of Australia. It is small – with a population of about 350 People and at any time it will accommodate no more than 400 visitors. It’s green and lush with stunning cliffs towering over the island. A trip around the island takes about two hours.
Lord Howe Island may seem a strange place to finish this quest. And finish it, I did. My obsessions with visiting 100 places on the Traveler’s Century Club was done. I could now join if I wished. And I had engineered both to happen on the same day. I was finishing my quest neatly. But in many ways it was an anti-climax. I spent this day sitting quietly in the lush tropical garden, reading, writing, and listening to bird noise. I took a “selfie” and posted it on Facebook. In the evening I attended their “fish fry” and toasted myself with a glass of white wine.
Activities on Lord Howe comprise snorkelling the most southerly reef in the world, climbing the peaks of Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird and cycling. And walking the many walking tracks. At this age, none of those appeal. At any age, some of them would never have appealed to me. A bus trip took me around the island in a couple of hours, which included morning tea. And so I was left with my book and my writing.
This, as it turned out, was perfect. Since my previous trip I had agonized over my future travel. I had been exhausted after that trip and it took me three weeks to get my sleep patterns back. Travel had so much been part of my life, and I was aware that my age, my knees and my stamina were conspiring to make travel more difficult for me. Furthermore, the fact that I had engineered my 100th country and my 50th anniversary to coincide meant that I had subconsciously concluded that my travel would stop now. Anything beyond the 100th country was superfluous to need and outside the 50 years was needlessly untidy.
After a few days of relaxation and journal writing I became aware that Lord Howe had given me the time and space to work through all this, and I felt rejuvenated and peaceful. Lord Howe was not only the means for this transformation but it was also the answer to my questions. I may not be able tolerate long haul flights or getting on and off buses. But I could still fly somewhere. Do a bit of sightseeing and relax in a resort. My 100th country was also the first of my new mode of travel.
When I posted my “selfie” on Facebook it attracted some attention and a number of questions. One friend asked “Will you stop now?” I replied “Probably not, but I will stop counting”.
I travel because I must. I count because I can.
